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H. W. BOSWORTI-I. AUTOMATIG PICK GOUNTER FOR LOOMS.

No. 551.345. Patented Dec. 10. 1895.

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H. W. BOSWORTH. AUTOMATIC PICK-COUNTER FOR LOOMS.

No. 551,345. Patented Deo. 10, 1895.

AN DREW BRAHAM. PHOTQ-UTHO-WASHI NGTON. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

HARVEY IV. BOSWIORTII, OF URBANA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO EDVARD E. DOSIVORTII, OF SAME PLACE, DAVID O. BOSVORTH, OF ZANESVILLE, OHIO, AND ROBERT S. BOSWORTH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC PICK-COUNTER FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,345, dated December 10, 1895.

Application filed July 19, 1895. Serial No. 556,540. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARvEY W. BoswoRrH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Urbana, in the county of Champaign and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Pick-Count ers for Looms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in counting devices intended to count the threads or picks which are being woven into a certain space or length of fabric in a loom.

In weaving a certain number of threads, technically called picks/7 are thrown by the shuttle to produce cloth of a given Weight. The number of picks or threads is determined in a given spacesay one inch of cloth-by the speed at which the fabric is fed through the loom.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple device, and one which is contained in small compass, by means of which the number of picks or threads being woven into a certain fabric may be determined at any time, and to this end my invention consists in the constructions described and hereinafter claimed.

In carrying out my invention I employ a dial having a moving hand connected to a pawl-and-ratchet device in such a manner that the hand is caused to move one space or point each time the shuttle of the loom is operated. In connection with this pawl-andratchet device I employ a trip-wheel connected with the moving fabric in such a way as to move continuously therewith and automatically start and stop the ratchet device, so that the counting shall take place at certain predetermined points and continuefor a predetermined interval, so that the number of picks or threads which go into a certain length Of cloth shall be accurately counted at stated intervals during the operation of weaving said fabric.

l In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front view of the dial. Fig. 2 is a rear view ot' the same showing the ratchet-wheel and trip-wheel. in section, of the same. Fig. 4 is a side view, partly broken away, showing the trip-wheel and its operating mechanism. Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the arbor. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the spring. Figs. 7 and 8 are side and edge views, respectively, of the vibrating lever.

In the said drawings, a represents the dial, which is numbered from a normal or starting point marked zero with as many numbers as desired. Supported in front ot' the dial, which may be covered with a glass in the usual manner, is a hand a', which is mounted on the projecting end of an arbor a2, which passes through the dial and is supported in a suitable frame at the rear of said dial. To this arbor there is rigidly connected a ratchetwheel c3, which has as many teeth in its periphery as there are numbers on the face of the dial, each tooth corresponding to one space or point on the dial. There is also mounted on the arbor a spiral spring at, one end of which is connected to the frame and the other end connected to the ratchetavheel or arbor, so that as the hand is moved from the zero 0r starting point the spring is wound up and tends to restore the hand to its normal position when released.

Pivoted on the arbor a2 adjacent to the ratchet-wheel is a vibrating lever b, which carries a pivoted spring-actuated pawl D', adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchetwheel, the pawl being preferably constructed with a laterally-extending pin h2 for this purpose, which pin projects entirely through the pawl, so as to engage the ratchet-teeth at one side of the pawl and form a projection at the other end to be engaged by a trip-wheel, as hereinafter specified. Adjacent to the pivn oted pawl h', on the lever, is a holding-pawl b3, which is pivoted to the frame in such a manner as to engage the teeth in the ratchetwheel to prevent the same from returning by the action of the spring a4. The holdingpawl hB is provided with alaterally-extending projection b4, which stands in line with the pin h2 on the pawl h', and sufficiently removed Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly therefrom so that they will not contact in the ordinary operation of the lever-pawl in operating the ratchet-wheel.

Adjacent to the ratchet-wheel and journaled loosely on the arbor CL2 is a trip-wheel c. This trip-wheel is formed with a portion c of its peripherydepressed so that it stands substantially coincident with or within the bottoms of the ratchet-teeth in the ratchetwheel. The remaining portion c2 of the wheelperiphery is formed coincident with or slightly larger than the outer ends or points of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel. The projection h2 in the operating-pawl b extends over the depressed portion of the periphery of the tripwheel and is adapted to be engaged and moved outwardly by the portion c2 of said wheel,

which acts as a cam projection and supportv for said pawl, so that when the pawl is engaged thereby it may still vibrate with the lever, but shall not engage the teeth in the ratchet-wheel.

Means are provided by which the trip-wheel is made to revolve continuously at a speed corresponding to the speed of the fabric through the loom, while the vibrating lever Z9 is connected so as to vibrate each time the shuttle of the loom is operated. The depressed portion of the trip-wheel corresponds in length to a certain length of cloth, so that the number of vibrations which the shuttle makes in this space will represent the number of picks or threads which are woven into a certain length of the fabric.

To provide for adjusting the space during which the ratchet-Wheel will operate, I construct the trip-wheel with an adjustable segment ci, which is pivoted on the arbor and has a periphery corresponding to the enlarged periphery c2 of the trip-wheel. The end of this segment is beveled off to form a cam-face to engage the pin or projection b2 in the operating-pawl b, and is further provided with a slotted opening c4, concentric with the periphery of the wheel, and a clamp-screw c5 in the wheel passes through said slotted opening, so as to hold said segment in different positions of adjustment. The trip-wheel c is further provided with a cam projection c, which extends outwardly from the enlarged periphery c2, and is adapted, as the wheel is rotated, to move the operating-pawl b/ farther away from the ratchet-wheel and cause it, through the agency of the projection b2, to engage and move the holding-pawl b3 so as to entirely disengage the ratchet-wheel and permit it, through the agency of the spring, to return to its normal position.

For imparting motion to the trip-wheel c, I preferably employ a grooved pulley c7, which is connected rigidly to said trip-wheel and over which passes a cord or belt cs, said belt passing over suitable guiding pulleys or sheaves 09 C10 c, and thence around the beam on which the fabric or the warp is wound or unwound, a weighted pulley c2@ being preferably provided between two of the guiding-pulleys to take up the slack, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The operation of the device, it is believed, will be understood from the above. The loom being set to feed the fabric at a speed to produce a certain number of threads or picks to the inch, is started with the hand a at the normal or zero point, and the operating-pawl b engaging the ratchet-wheel at the beginning of the depressed portion of the trip-wheel. Vhen a number of points on the dial are counted off corresponding to the number of picks, the movable segment of the trip-wheel is secured by a screw c5 in a position to disengage the pawl, the depressed portion of the periphery of the trip-wheel being thus limited to correspond to a certain length of fabric-say, one inch. Each time the trip-wheel makes one revolution, therefore, the dial-hand will be, through the operation of the vibrating lever, pawl and ratchetwheel, moveda numberof points corresponding to the number of threads woven into a given space, when it will be thrown out and remain in the position counted until the tripwheel makes a complete revolution, when, by the cam projection c6, both pawls will be disengaged fromthe ratchet-wheel, and the wheel and hand returned to their normal positions by the springs a4. This counting of the number of picks or threads to the inch will take place at certain predetermined intervals, depending upon the dia-meter of the trip-wheel, and may be made to correspond to any length of cloth desired-say, for instance, ten or twelve inches. The operator is thus enabled to determine at any time by the dial just how many picks or threads are being placed in the fabric, and if a greater or less number than the one desired appears then the loom is regulated to secure the proper number.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The combination, in a counting device, of a dial plate and hand, an arbor on which said hand is secured, and a ratchet wheel secured rigidly to said arbor, a vibrating lever, a pawl connected to said lever and adapted to engage with said ratchet wheel, a holding pawl adjacent to said operating pawl, said pawls having interengaging projections, as described, and a trip wheel also mounted on said arbor, said trip wheel being provided with cam faces or projections to engage said pawls and cause them to successivelybe disengaged from said ratchet wheel, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in a counting device for looms, of a pivoted lever, and a ratchet wheel, a spring-actuated arbor, carrying a hand, on which said ratchet wheel is secured, and a trip wheel mounted on said arbor and having engaging faces or projections, a pawl on said lever, and a holding pawl adjacent to said operating pawl, and means as described for causing said pawl to become disengaged IOO IIO

IZO

from said ratchet Wheel during a portion of the revolution of said trip Wheel, and for disengaging both pawls from said ratchet Wheel during a further movement of said trip Wheel, substantially as specified.

In a counting device for looms, the cornbination of a pivoted lever and a ratchet Wheel, a spring-actuated arbor on which said ratchet Wheel is secured, and a hand secured to said arbor, a trip Wheel also mounted on said arbor but adapted to turn thereon, an operating paWl on said lever, and a holding pawl adjacent to said operating paWl, an adjustable segment on said trip Wheel to disengage said operating pawl, and a stationary cam projection to further raise said operating pawl to disengage the holding pawl, substantially as speciied.

et. The combination with the ratchet Wheel, a vibrating lever, and interengaging paWls as described, of a trip wheel having cam faces to engage said pawls, and a pulley on said trip wheel, a cord passing over said pulley, guiding pulleys for said cord, and a Weight arranged between two of said guiding pulleys for taking up the slack of said cord, substantially as specified.

5. In a counting device for looms, the conibination With a vibrating lever, and an operating paWl thereon, a ratchet Wheel engaged by said pawl, said ratchet Wheel being secured to a spring-actuated arbor having a hand secured thereto, a holding pawl for said ratchet Wheel, a trip Wheel mounted loosely on said arbor and adapted to revolve thereon, a connection from an operating part of the loom to said trip wheel, said trip Wheel being provided With a depressed face and an adjustable segment, and interengaging projections on said operating and holding paWls whereby 4o said ratchet Wheel is released When said pawls have been operated by said trip wheel, substantially as specied.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of July, A. D. 1895.

HARVEY W. BOSVORTH.

Witnesses CHAs. I. WELCH, OLIVER H. MILLER. 

